Friday, February 15, 2013

Okay, here goes Steal #1! I needed new plates and basic dishware for my house. I had two old sets I'd been using, which did not match AT ALL, but hey I had them so I used them. Over time, they've broken, cracked, gone missing and now I have not just two mismatching sets of dishes; I have two mismatching, incomplete sets of dishes. It was time for some new ones. My hubby and I looked all over: Walmart, Target, JC Penneys, Macy's, Boscov's, and Kohl's.

We found plenty of gorgeous sets, like some Kate Spade china sets at Macy's, but at over $100 per place setting, it was a bit out of our budget to say the least. We finally found a set we really liked and they are sold at pretty much any major department store. They are called "Fiesta" and they come in a million and one colors (not literally ... but almost). These also are purchased like china in that your buy them per place setting, which tends to be the most expensive way to buy. They had the perfect colors for my new kitchen though and I just fell in love. Each set came with a dinner plate, salad plate, cereal bowl, saucer, and cup. I just absolutely fell in love with the ivory and the turquoise colors. Any for being per set china place settings, $50 per set was on the low end of all the stores.

The Fiesta brand is made right here in America by The Homer Laughlin China Co. The company originally released its first line of Fiesta dinnerware in Pittsburg in 1936. It was retired for a while and since 1986, it has been making its way back into our stores and is now the leading dinnerware in casual tabletops and is high on bridal registries. They also add a new color every year so if for some reason (I don't know how) they don't have one you're looking for, just wait!

Back to my shopping trip, though. I looked all over and everywhere sold them $50 a set. Finally at Penney's, I found them for $30 a set and I began actually considering purchasing them. I went from having to spend $200 for a traditional 4 setting purchase to spending $120 (plus taxes of course). I still wasn't sure how comfortable I was with spending that much on dinnerware.

One day I was at Kohl's, shopping for anything but my dinnerware and I stumbled across their entire wall, floor to ceiling, display of Fiesta dinnerware. They also had a sale going on of buy one, get one for $1. Now I could buy my 4 place settings for $102!! Much better. Then I noticed a sign saying that if you bought 4 place settings, you got a 5th one free. So now I'm getting not just 4, but 5 place settings for $102. Did I mention their Valentine's Day coupon (like Kohl's needs a holiday for a coupon ... it's more like it's Wednesday here's a discount, but whatever) of 20% off!

Finally my grand total for five place settings of Fiesta dinnerware was $81.60 (plus tax)! Not bad right?!

So here is the breakdown for Fiesta dinnerware (for the 5 place settings I took home):

Full price at most major department stores: $50 per place setting= $250 total for 5
Discounted Price at JC Penneys: $30 per place setting= $150 total for 5
Discounted Price at Kohl's: $50 for first setting, $1 for second= $152 total for 5
Discounted Price at Kohl's after 5th place setting free: $20.40 per setting= $102 total for 5Discounted Price at Kohl's after 5th place setting free AND 20% coupon: $16.32/set= $81.60 total for 5 settings!!!

Welcome to my second blog! As my readers know well, my first blog was all about beauty. Makeup was my main topic, but skin care, hair care/products, nail polishes and more were all covered in my Confessions From a Makeup Addict blog. Another important feature of my blog was showing all women they could look and feel great without spending a ridiculous amount of money. Well I am still super passionate about beauty, makeup most specifically, but as a mom and wife, living life overall on a budget is extremely important.

We are a family of 3 with one income as I am currently a student and mom and with a 14 month old baby ... and an apartment, there are plenty of expenses to go around. I lack the ability to find satisfaction in "cheap" items. Now cheap does not mean inexpensive. Cheap means CHEAP, crappy, not well made, low quality. No matter how tight my budget I just cannot find the ability to settle for "cheap" items. Not in my beauty routine and certainly not for my home.

I like pretty, quality, nice things and I don't feel badly for it. The important thing though is to make sure you get necessities and don't just buy something because you like it and to make sure you are getting the best deal possible. Your family's bellies need to be full and a roof needs to be over your head and the necessities need to be taken care of, of course, but I will help my readers by sharing my "finds" and "steals" and show you how to update your home on a dime.

Welcome to High End Mama on a Dime and I hope I can help you transform your home into something you love and something you can afford. Lots of love and luck.

About Me

I'm Tina! I'm a wife of a great husband named Justin and a mom of a wondeful, beautiful little girl named Zoe. As a wife and mama, pinching pennies is a must. But I still love all the pretty things in the world, like clothes, makeup, and decorations for my home. Visit me at my blogs for tips and tricks on getting the most bang for your buck.